Wheels Thread

[dr.prestige]

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Looking for some wheels for a transition and curb setup, specifically something between 90-97a. I’ve been riding 54mm 99a conical fulls which work great for when I’m skating outside but are way too slick at my local indoor. Would be down for some sort of OJ wheel

[close]

skating formula four 97a classics right now. hands down the best wheel i skated for our dusty indoor masonite covered park.
reckon 97a conical fulls would be even grippier.

I like these wheels better than everything I've tested previously, including 92a rictas, 97a Santa Cruz wheels, harder formula fours, some 87a pig wheels

NFG 95a formula is better once it's broken in

[MysticalTypeExperience]

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Anyone know what wheels Franky Villani is running? I might be a minority but I fucking love the neon green and orange swirled wheels he rides.

[close]

Conical fulls

yeah those are sick imo...I'd buy the shit out of them if they were in a big size like 54-56. When they were released previously were they in multiple sizes?

[thanksgiving]

these are available in 55 in most shops here in canada, looks like usa has 53 too. came out this spring.

[Xen]

these are available in 55 in most shops here in canada, looks like usa has 53 too. came out this spring.

More often than not, the swirl/tinted spitfires are usually 53mm + super rare they make fun shit below 53. Even the recent orange tablets were 53/54 only.

[PuffinMuffin]

I purchased some fraudulent F4 101 Venomous Radial Slims. Typically I purchase everything from the local, but the owner said he can only get Spits in 54mm or bigger. Riding Thunders with 54s is just wheel bite, doesn't feel right.

They arrived without the typical Spitfire accoutrements. The wheels were wrapped in cellophane. After an hour of breaking them in they don't slide anything like the same wheels they replaced and felt like riding on ice. The graphics on the wheels are sloppy to boot. I know several PALs have been saying they're no longer in production, should have listened. They were bought from tgm_skateboards on eBay. Kinda bummed, but oh well. 

[mbam003]

know several PALs have been saying they're no longer in production, should have listened.

Plenty of shops in Europe had them this summer, including my local. Bought a set and they were as legit as they come.

[Mbrimson88]

I purchased some fraudulent F4 101 Venomous Radial Slims. Typically I purchase everything from the local, but the owner said he can only get Spits in 54mm or bigger. Riding Thunders with 54s is just wheel bite, doesn't feel right.

They arrived without the typical Spitfire accoutrements. The wheels were wrapped in cellophane. After an hour of breaking them in they don't slide anything like the same wheels they replaced and felt like riding on ice. The graphics on the wheels are sloppy to boot. I know several PALs have been saying they're no longer in production, should have listened. They were bought from tgm_skateboards on eBay. Kinda bummed, but oh well. 

TGM should have known better.

Ebay does have a fake product guarantee, so you could start a claim and have a full refund.

Others I know who got sucked in had the same thing, with a full refund as a result.


Sucks that some shops and places / people who seem legit are selling crap like this.


DLX have not confirmed they are not making any more, but there have not been any Radial Slim wheels for over a year in any catalog or production information.  That is not to say that there are not still some out there - I have a couple of sets still but I don't have them in the shop now because of the limited supply.

[PuffinMuffin]

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I purchased some fraudulent F4 101 Venomous Radial Slims. Typically I purchase everything from the local, but the owner said he can only get Spits in 54mm or bigger. Riding Thunders with 54s is just wheel bite, doesn't feel right.

They arrived without the typical Spitfire accoutrements. The wheels were wrapped in cellophane. After an hour of breaking them in they don't slide anything like the same wheels they replaced and felt like riding on ice. The graphics on the wheels are sloppy to boot. I know several PALs have been saying they're no longer in production, should have listened. They were bought from tgm_skateboards on eBay. Kinda bummed, but oh well. 

[close]

TGM should have known better.

Ebay does have a fake product guarantee, so you could start a claim and have a full refund.

Others I know who got sucked in had the same thing, with a full refund as a result.


Sucks that some shops and places / people who seem legit are selling crap like this.


DLX have not confirmed they are not making any more, but there have not been any Radial Slim wheels for over a year in any catalog or production information.  That is not to say that there are not still some out there - I have a couple of sets still but I don't have them in the shop now because of the limited supply.

Thank you, you really know what you're talking about, I love reading your posts. I'm not a regular eBayer so I really appreciate your input and have just started a claim. Those 52mm Loopholes are looking tempting now, going to research them further.   

[mynameisnotjeff]

Has anyone skated Speed Lab wheels?
I’ve been tempted to get a set of the Slappy Hour Collabs.

[Xen]

Plenty of Radial Slim stock out there, and from reputable sellers/small shops via parade:

https://www.paradeworld.com/skateboards/spitfire-wheels/spitfire-wheels-formula-four-radial-slims/

https://www.zumiez.com/spitfire-venomous-radial-slims-52mm-101a-skateboard-wheels.html

52mm
https://www.oldskullskateboards.com/spitfire-f4-formula-four-venomous-radial-slims-101d-52mm-set-of-4/

$33 54mm
https://garageskateshop.com/products/spitfire-f4-venomous-radial-slim-wheels?_pos=1&_sid=d3ec423ff&_ss=r

[Mbrimson88]

Has anyone skated Speed Lab wheels?
I’ve been tempted to get a set of the Slappy Hour Collabs.

Yes and yes I would recommend them for a different option, especially in the slightly lower duro (97 or even 95 range) but all of them work well enough.  Slightly more likely to flatspot, like many wheels, but they come in various sizes, shapes, etc which are often good for people who want something like that 54 and 56 mm conical full looking wheels, as per the Slappy Hours, with the different colours.

Sold out from their own site, but I have seen quite a few around in various places.


https://www.speedlabwheels.com/products/slappy-hour-54mm-99a-jason-adams-guest-model

https://www.speedlabwheels.com/products/slappy-hour-56mm-99a-jason-adams-pro-model



There are even the 58mm with yellow swirls, but they are harder to find:


https://www.speedlabwheels.com/products/slappy-hour-58mm-99a-jason-adams-pro-model

[Boog]

Fun colored f4 have been hitting different lately. Skating these orange spanky wheels and I love them. Also have some blue radials on deck too. I still like the off white patato color best tho.

[pops]

Put my Oj Super Juices in test yesterday and loved them.
Rolls so smoothly and easier for feet as well.

[PuffinMuffin]

Plenty of Radial Slim stock out there, and from reputable sellers/small shops via parade:

https://www.paradeworld.com/skateboards/spitfire-wheels/spitfire-wheels-formula-four-radial-slims/

https://www.zumiez.com/spitfire-venomous-radial-slims-52mm-101a-skateboard-wheels.html

52mm
https://www.oldskullskateboards.com/spitfire-f4-formula-four-venomous-radial-slims-101d-52mm-set-of-4/

$33 54mm
https://garageskateshop.com/products/spitfire-f4-venomous-radial-slim-wheels?_pos=1&_sid=d3ec423ff&_ss=r

Good looking out, Old Skull used to be my local. They're nice dudes and do a bunch for the community, I'll purchase from them. Thank you Xen. 

[Srt32srt]

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Has anyone skated Speed Lab wheels?
I’ve been tempted to get a set of the Slappy Hour Collabs.

[close]

Yes and yes I would recommend them for a different option, especially in the slightly lower duro (97 or even 95 range) but all of them work well enough.  Slightly more likely to flatspot, like many wheels, but they come in various sizes, shapes, etc which are often good for people who want something like that 54 and 56 mm conical full looking wheels, as per the Slappy Hours, with the different colours.

Sold out from their own site, but I have seen quite a few around in various places.


https://www.speedlabwheels.com/products/slappy-hour-54mm-99a-jason-adams-guest-model

https://www.speedlabwheels.com/products/slappy-hour-56mm-99a-jason-adams-pro-model



There are even the 58mm with yellow swirls, but they are harder to find:


https://www.speedlabwheels.com/products/slappy-hour-58mm-99a-jason-adams-pro-model

speedlab/slappyhour has a 97a 54mm wheel?

[FrozenIndustries]

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I purchased some fraudulent F4 101 Venomous Radial Slims. Typically I purchase everything from the local, but the owner said he can only get Spits in 54mm or bigger. Riding Thunders with 54s is just wheel bite, doesn't feel right.

They arrived without the typical Spitfire accoutrements. The wheels were wrapped in cellophane. After an hour of breaking them in they don't slide anything like the same wheels they replaced and felt like riding on ice. The graphics on the wheels are sloppy to boot. I know several PALs have been saying they're no longer in production, should have listened. They were bought from tgm_skateboards on eBay. Kinda bummed, but oh well. 

[close]

TGM should have known better.

Ebay does have a fake product guarantee, so you could start a claim and have a full refund.

Others I know who got sucked in had the same thing, with a full refund as a result.


Sucks that some shops and places / people who seem legit are selling crap like this.


DLX have not confirmed they are not making any more, but there have not been any Radial Slim wheels for over a year in any catalog or production information.  That is not to say that there are not still some out there - I have a couple of sets still but I don't have them in the shop now because of the limited supply.

I don't want to derail things but does TGM regularly sell counterfeit product? Had an amazon gift card and ordered some ventures from them through their storefront on there.

[manysnakes]

Yeah, I had a bunch of eBay credit and bought some Bones Swiss from their eBay store. They are listed as a genuine seller of Bones on their website, and the bearings appear to be authentic (and they're like a year old now). I suspect if anyone got scammed, it was maybe TGM, since I doubt a huge retailer like that wants to get in trouble with Spitfire.

[PuffinMuffin]

Yeah, I had a bunch of eBay credit and bought some Bones Swiss from their eBay store. They are listed as a genuine seller of Bones on their website, and the bearings appear to be authentic (and they're like a year old now). I suspect if anyone got scammed, it was maybe TGM, since I doubt a huge retailer like that wants to get in trouble with Spitfire.

Hmm, yeah, I agree. What I don't understand though is why they came wrapped in several layers of saran wrap without the Spitfire leaflet or sticker. The auction described them as "brand-new, unused, unopened, undamaged item in its original packaging". Seems like it should have set off red flags.

[rocklobster]

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Yeah, I had a bunch of eBay credit and bought some Bones Swiss from their eBay store. They are listed as a genuine seller of Bones on their website, and the bearings appear to be authentic (and they're like a year old now). I suspect if anyone got scammed, it was maybe TGM, since I doubt a huge retailer like that wants to get in trouble with Spitfire.

[close]

Hmm, yeah, I agree. What I don't understand though is why they came wrapped in several layers of saran wrap without the Spitfire leaflet or sticker. The auction described them as "brand-new, unused, unopened, undamaged item in its original packaging". Seems like it should have set off red flags.

Sounds very unlikely TGM would sell fake Spitfires but I may be wrong. I bought and tested a few sets of the fake Spitfires and there are a few visual telltale signs:
1) Color - bone white or greenish white instead of off-white / yellow
2) Shape - the 54mm Radial Slims were conical or classic shaped instead of Radial
3) Dimensions - the fakes were fatter than the usual radial slims

Slide wise they were horrible, incredibly sticky and hard.

I know TGM sells stuff via eBay and they are likely to get stock direct from DLX or a distributor. Unless they are mixing their genuine stuff with the fake stuff? Would be easy to do that with bearings since the counterfeits are much harder to differentiate from the genuine, packaging is 99% spot on. But wheels? The shape and color are a clear giveaway.

[thanksgiving]

been skating the 99 53 black f4 classic full shape and the urethane feels a bit softer than my buddies 99 54 conical fulls. has anyone had any experience with wheel color changing the feel? he tried my board and said they felt softer without me telling him so it's definitely not a bias.

i dont know... maybe the madness is just driving me insane

[Mbrimson88]

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Has anyone skated Speed Lab wheels?
I’ve been tempted to get a set of the Slappy Hour Collabs.

[close]

Yes and yes I would recommend them for a different option, especially in the slightly lower duro (97 or even 95 range) but all of them work well enough.  Slightly more likely to flatspot, like many wheels, but they come in various sizes, shapes, etc which are often good for people who want something like that 54 and 56 mm conical full looking wheels, as per the Slappy Hours, with the different colours.

Sold out from their own site, but I have seen quite a few around in various places.


https://www.speedlabwheels.com/products/slappy-hour-54mm-99a-jason-adams-guest-model

https://www.speedlabwheels.com/products/slappy-hour-56mm-99a-jason-adams-pro-model



There are even the 58mm with yellow swirls, but they are harder to find:


https://www.speedlabwheels.com/products/slappy-hour-58mm-99a-jason-adams-pro-model

[close]

speedlab/slappyhour has a 97a 54mm wheel?

Not the Slappy Hour wheels, but others in the same size and shape, mainly the Nomad and the Danforth, which also come in coloured options too:

https://www.ocdskateshop.com.au/products/speedlab-nomads-bloodstain-56mm-97a-skateboard-wheels

[manysnakes]

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Yeah, I had a bunch of eBay credit and bought some Bones Swiss from their eBay store. They are listed as a genuine seller of Bones on their website, and the bearings appear to be authentic (and they're like a year old now). I suspect if anyone got scammed, it was maybe TGM, since I doubt a huge retailer like that wants to get in trouble with Spitfire.

[close]

Hmm, yeah, I agree. What I don't understand though is why they came wrapped in several layers of saran wrap without the Spitfire leaflet or sticker. The auction described them as "brand-new, unused, unopened, undamaged item in its original packaging". Seems like it should have set off red flags.

Well if I ordered something listed as "brand new in original packaging" and it showed up wrapped in saran wrap, I'd immediately contact the seller.

[LebowskisRug]

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I purchased some fraudulent F4 101 Venomous Radial Slims. Typically I purchase everything from the local, but the owner said he can only get Spits in 54mm or bigger. Riding Thunders with 54s is just wheel bite, doesn't feel right.

They arrived without the typical Spitfire accoutrements. The wheels were wrapped in cellophane. After an hour of breaking them in they don't slide anything like the same wheels they replaced and felt like riding on ice. The graphics on the wheels are sloppy to boot. I know several PALs have been saying they're no longer in production, should have listened. They were bought from tgm_skateboards on eBay. Kinda bummed, but oh well. 

[close]

TGM should have known better.

Ebay does have a fake product guarantee, so you could start a claim and have a full refund.

Others I know who got sucked in had the same thing, with a full refund as a result.


Sucks that some shops and places / people who seem legit are selling crap like this.


DLX have not confirmed they are not making any more, but there have not been any Radial Slim wheels for over a year in any catalog or production information.  That is not to say that there are not still some out there - I have a couple of sets still but I don't have them in the shop now because of the limited supply.

[close]

Thank you, you really know what you're talking about, I love reading your posts. I'm not a regular eBayer so I really appreciate your input and have just started a claim. Those 52mm Loopholes are looking tempting now, going to research them further.   

My 52mm Loopholes measured 52.5 and were not that great. Gripped fine, didn't slide super well, lots of cosmetic blems. I'm not a big fan and a few friends have had the same problems. Just get the equivalent F4 shape. My SML were also better.

[dr.prestige]

I've ridden five or more sets of the Loophole/NFG 52mm teardrops over the last few years and I've always been happy with them. I should say that I don't care at all about cosmetic defects (when I'm visiting the NFG facility I try to pick out the sets with the most bubbles on the sidewall, they're less expensive and I feel like the bubbles help with my slappies, but it might just be in my head tbh), and while it's unfortunate that they have had some variations in size they've done a lot to improve and stay consistent. NFG could only get the equipment that they could afford at their start, and it's different equipment than what "The Wizard" was working with when he was the chemist over at Pointec (Spitfire) so he and the whole team have had to progressively adjust their manufacturing methods over time to optimize them with the equipment they have access to. That's why in earlier runs they came out in varying shades of off white/yellow, measured smaller than normal, the graphic came off easier, etc. They've figured out over time how to resolve these issues and with every new batch of wheels they get better at making them.

TLDR go and buy different wheels if you feel like it but I bet that if you got another set of those Loopholes you would find yourself liking them more than you remember.

[Mbrimson88]

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My 52mm Loopholes measured 52.5 and were not that great. Gripped fine, didn't slide super well, lots of cosmetic blems. I'm not a big fan and a few friends have had the same problems. Just get the equivalent F4 shape. My SML were also better.

[close]

Awe, that's disappointing, sorry to hear they're meh.  I ended up ordering a set of F4s of Old Skull.

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Well if I ordered something listed as "brand new in original packaging" and it showed up wrapped in saran wrap, I'd immediately contact the seller.

[close]

Yeah, I wasn't being too bright and assumed the chances of a well-established distributor selling counterfeit goods was slim. Lesson learned.

I love you guys, thanks for your feedback and help.

Shoes and Gear almost always help with info and things which is why I like it here.


It always used to bug me when a few shops I know would always take the wheels out of the packaging, put the sticker in the cabinet and the wheels on pegs on the wall.  Sure they display well enough and it takes up a lot less room, but that packaging to some is worth keeping too, as well as the old "Don't even get me started on shops keeping or selling stickers that come with wheels, decks, etc"

At the end of the day, it is the choice of the shop how they present their products, but I stopped buying from them when I knew I could get wheels still in original packaging from someone else for the same price.


Having fake / counterfeit product is a whole new level of low, with increasing numbers of legit shops / people knowingly selling this sort of stuff, or even mixing in some genuine and some counterfeit, but as per customers who know the real product from the fake stuff, it is a sure way to lose customers and get a bad rep for the shop.

I had seen a shop assistant swap over counterfeit for genuine product on one occasion in a place I worked at a while back, which was easy to see as I knew what I was looking for (and the kid got fired as a result), so that was not the fault of the shop in that case and weirder things have happened, but I got the impression that TGM was a super high turnover / low end / cheap / bargain type of place for a while now, but this just makes me sad to think they are actively selling fake wheels.


Counterfeit thread here:

https://www.slapmagazine.com/index.php?topic=115386.0


**  Those radial slim wheels should always have one head and three tails in the wheel packaging.  If they have four heads, then they are much more likely to be fake.

Genuine Radial Slim wheels:

[pops]

Two sessions in with the 55mm super juices. I simply love these. It feels weird not be able to powerslide or revert but on the other hand the feeling of 100% control over your board is so fun. You can blast on carves as fast as you want.

[Sundaynuggets]

Two sessions in with the 55mm super juices. I simply love these. It feels weird not be able to powerslide or revert but on the other hand the feeling of 100% control over your board is so fun. You can blast on carves as fast as you want.

Super juices are great! Them and the Ricta clouds are the only soft wheels I’ve had that don’t chunk on super crusty surfaces

[LebowskisRug]

Big typo above:

My 52 Loophole actually measured 50.5

[dr.prestige]

Big typo above:

My 52 Loophole actually measured 50.5

Yeah those were made with the old molds. They got new ones since then that measure a lot closer

[europa1991]

Wanted to try some Loopholes since there’s going to be a new drop soon but are they all 101a?